


Remembrance

by YMR9



Category: RWBY
Genre: "Friendly" exes, Almost canon with some changes, Angst with a Happy Ending, College, F/F, Fair Game (hinted), Goldhound (mentioned), Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, It's not college AU, Jacques is an a-hole as usual, Mutual Pining, Post-Volume 7 (RWBY), Salem is arriving late as usual because she wants her OTP to kiss, The tone is like All That Matters.mp3, Volume 7 (RWBY), Young Love, bad breakup, because it's more like a backstory, but imagine it as Robyn and Winter, who are still in love with each other obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:09:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23944474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YMR9/pseuds/YMR9
Summary: “Sorry,” Winter mumbled, unable to turn her gaze away.“It’s, umm, it’s okay, Winter,” Robyn replied.Their moment came to an end when Clover spoke up.“For Brothers’ sake! Get a room, you two.”--ORRobyn had a history with Winter back in the Academy days. Now that Winter came back and stays in Atlas 24/7, some old buried feelings make their way back.
Relationships: Robyn Hill/Winter Schnee
Comments: 97
Kudos: 112





	1. Then

Robyn definitely had a crush.

During her almost four-year period at Atlas Academy, she went out with a few people but it just never clicked. And then Winter Schnee came into her life.

Robyn paid Winter no mind when she started her first year. To Robyn, she was just one of those snobbish rich kids whose parents paid their way into the Academy, not to mention the fact that Winter was the heiress of one of the most questionable organizations like Schnee Dust Company. From Robyn’s experience, she knew most of these kids were bullies or brats she could not reason with, especially when she was an orphan growing up in foster care. It was why she preferred to stay away from them and rather hung out with students with actual talents and basic human decency.

Things changed when Winter joined Robyn in the student council in her sophomore year. Turned out, Winter proved to be smart, considerate and hard-working. She was quite shy and reserved, but yet she was friendly and always spoke up when she had some ideas to help improve their school.

Robyn found herself being drawn to the white-haired girl. She started to sit next to her or across from her in the meeting room just so she could see Winter’s face light up when she gave her inputs or give her an encouraging smile when she was nervous.

This habit of hers extended to the cafeteria. Robyn always found a way to sit next to Winter during lunch time. Her crush on the sophomore was so obvious that Clover, her best friend and the Academy’s student council president, started to catch on and he enjoyed teasing Robyn relentlessly.

It was nice to talk to Winter outside of their meetings. At the cafeteria, Robyn was allowed to get to know Winter or made her laugh with her silly jokes. She remembered how hard her heart was thumping when she heard Winter laugh for the first time.

The same routine went on for weeks and the younger girl seemed as oblivious of Robyn’s feelings for her as ever, or at least until one day during lunch.

Robyn was in the middle of making a snowman with her meatballs and showing Winter when Winter’s best friend, Barbara, abruptly shoved her towards Robyn. The meatball on top fell somewhere on Robyn’s left, but it did not matter as much as how close Winter’s face was to hers at the moment. With this proximity, Robyn could see the grey specks in her blue eyes and how her cheeks suddenly turned red, and of course, Robyn could not stop staring at her.

“Sorry,” Winter mumbled, unable to turn her gaze away as well.

“It’s, umm, it’s okay, Winter,” Robyn replied.

Their moment came to an end when Clover spoke up.

“For Brothers’ sake! Get a room, you two.”

Barbara chimed in. “Thank you, Clover. I’ve been trying to say that for weeks!”

Robyn tried to come up with a response, but not before Winter stood up.

“Excuse me,” the white-haired girl announced.

Robyn managed to see the panic on Winter’s face right before she turned to walk away with her best friend following shortly after her.

“Great. Just great, Irish. You freaked her out!” Robyn turned to snap at Clover.

“I’m the one who should be mad at you. You ruined my uniform!” Clover retorted and pointed at his pants that were now stained with the fallen meatball and tomato sauce.

“Sorry, a’ight? But it's not as ruined as my friendship with Winter,” Robyn said.

She picked up the meatball from her best friend’s lap and shoved it in her mouth.

“If you really want to call that ‘friendship’,” the boy remarked.

“It doesn’t matter. Looks like she’s not into me anyway.”

“I’m sorry, buddy,” Clover said and patted on Robyn’s back lightly. “But since we’re seniors, isn’t it better to not start dating anyone in school when we’re leaving soon?”

“Shit. You’re right,” Robyn agreed and let out a sigh.

Robyn expected that Winter would try to avoid her from now on, and they would have to talk someday, and if she was lucky, they would continue to be good friends.

To her surprise, on the day she was tasked to clean the meeting space, Winter hung back in the room.

“Winter, can I help you with something?” Robyn asked as casually as she could.

Suddenly, the younger girl was in front of her.

“I like you,” Winter blurted out with her face flushed and her gaze on the ground.

_This can’t be happening. This isn’t real._ Robyn told herself.

She thought of Winter’s action at the cafeteria and figured that Winter was probably trying to turn her down gently.

“But only as a friend. Got it,” Robyn assumed.

“No. No buts,” Winter said in a more confident tone. Her bright blue eyes were now looking into Robyn’s violet ones. “I really, really like you, Robyn.”

“Oh.”

Robyn’s mind turned blank as she was in shock. But the longer she was quiet, the more nervousness displayed on Winter’s face.

Robyn could not put her through that any longer.

“I like you too, Winter. I like you a lot.”

“Oh, umm,” the sophomore looked down at the ground again while she was tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “So... what now?”

Against her best judgment, Robyn asked. “Would you like to go out sometimes? With me?”

“Like on a date?”

“Like on a date,” Robyn confirmed with her.

“I’d love that.”

“Cool. How about this Sunday? Do you like sushi?”

“That works for me,” Winter replied with a smile. “And I love sushi.”

“Awesome. I’ll pick you up at your house.”

“No!” the white-haired girl said a little too urgently, but Robyn did not put much thought into it. Winter continued. “Let’s meet at the restaurant.”

“Okie-dokes. I’ll text you the address.”

After they finished cleaning the meeting room together, Robyn rushed ahead and opened the door for Winter, which earned a giggle from her.

“See you tomorrow, Robyn,” Winter said with another smile.

“See you,” Robyn replied mindlessly as she watched the younger girl walking away.

\--

Robyn arrived at the restaurant twenty minutes ahead of time. She chuckled with herself at how much she was excited and eager for this date with Winter. And maybe Winter felt the same because a white limousine pulled up ten minutes later and the girl in question stepped out.

Winter looked stunning in a light blue dress and half of her hair up. It almost made Robyn feel insecure about her plaid over a t-shirt and jeans. The uneasy feeling did not last long because Winter seemed to be amazed by her as much as Robyn was by Winter.

“Hey. You’re early,” Robyn greeted and grinned at her.

“And you’re even earlier.”

“Maybe I just couldn’t wait to see you. You look great, by the way.”

With Robyn’s words, she successfully made Winter blush and she did not think she would ever get tired of seeing this.

“Likewise,” the white-haired girl replied shyly.

“You’re hungry?”

“I’m more excited to check out the place.”

“Then let’s go.”

Just like last time, Robyn jogged ahead and opened the door for the other girl.

The interior was decorated with bamboo trees and light bulbs, which made the place feel homey unlike most of the restaurants in Atlas that were quite high-end.

They sat down on the opposite sides of the table in a corner and the waiter brought a menu book.

He said. “It’s full-house today, so we only have one menu book left. I’m so sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” Robyn said and gave him a smile.

“Let me know when you’re ready to order,” the waiter informed them and left.

Robyn asked Winter to take a look at the menu first, but the younger girl insisted that they look at it together. Within the first minute, Robyn’s neck started to get sore from craning it too much to the side. She ended up pointing at the space next to Winter.

“Can I sit there?”

“Sure,” Winter said and scooted to her right.

Robyn sat next to her and massaged the back of her own neck.

“Ah, this is much better.”

Winter giggled and they looked at the menu together. They then ordered three rolls of sushi, and when Robyn moved to get back into her previous seat, Winter gently grabbed her forearm.

“Stay. I’m kind of used to you sitting on my left.”

“All right,” Robyn agreed. “I’m used to you sitting on my right too.”

This was just like at school. The big difference was that they were currently sitting closely enough that their knees bumped and parts of their thighs touched, but neither of them made an effort to move away.

Their plan to end their date after lunch extended to a movie in the afternoon and visiting an ice-cream parlor in the late evening. After they received their orders, they walked together with Winter’s arm linked in Robyn’s.

When the weather grew colder, Robyn offered to drive the white-haired girl home and she agreed. She parked her compact car in front of the Schnee Manor, which looked so much bigger compared to when she sometimes saw it on the news.

She turned to Winter.

“I really enjoyed today with you.”

“Me too. I loved everything I did with you today,” Winter smiled with her teeth bared and Robyn thought she was the cutest girl she had ever met.

She then realized that she wanted to keep seeing the younger girl, and many things could change after she graduated and left the Academy.

“Winter, umm,” Robyn started. “I have to tell you something.”

Robyn guessed she must look very nervous because Winter reached out for her hand and held it to encourage her to speak.

Robyn eventually continued. “Maybe this is a little too soon, but you know I’m graduating in two months and I applied for jobs all over Remnant. But I want you to know that I really want to keep going out with you and I’ll do everything I can to make it work no matter where I land my job… you know, only if you want the same thing, of course.”

“Of course, I want the same thing,” Winter said surely and held Robyn’s hand with both of hers. “And I’ll try my best to make it work too.”

The way Winter was looking at her was so intense and full of affection for her. They held their gaze for the longest time until Robyn had the courage to ask the question she had been wanting to ask all day.

“Can I kiss you?”

“I thought you’d never asked,” Winter replied instantly with a playful smirk, a gesture Robyn never expected from the girl in front of her and she could not wait to see more of it.

She used her free hand to tap under Winter’s chin lightly and brought their lips together. They kissed softly and Winter’s lips tasted like strawberry ice-cream she had earlier. Robyn figured that Winter must be tasting the mint flavor on her lips as well and could not help but smile into the kiss.

“Wow,” Winter mumbled after their kiss ended.

“Wow, indeed,” Robyn concurred and grinned at her.

Before they could say anything else, a voice interrupted them and Winter was startled.

“Winter, you’re home late. Get inside the house _right now_.”

Robyn knew this voice as she heard it so many times on the news when he gave interviews. Jacques Schnee sounded as cold as ever. She looked around to find where he was, but soon discovered that the voice came from the intercom next to the front gate.

_That’s creepy._ Robyn thought, but she decided to keep this opinion to herself.

“I have to go,” Winter announced and turned to leave, but not before Robyn reached for her hand.

“Hey. I’m sorry if I got you into trouble.”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong. Today was perfect. _You_ were perfect and I can handle my father’s little rants,” Winter replied despite how scared she looked a moment ago. She kissed Robyn on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Mmkay. Goodnight, Winter.”

“Goodnight, Robyn.”

After Robyn got home, she texted Winter to wish her a sweet dream but did not get a response. She assumed that Winter already went to bed.

What alarmed her was that the sophomore did not come to school the next day. She also did not reply to her text messages or pick up her calls. But eventually, the call was picked up after the third attempt, but it was not by Winter.

“Hello?” a young girl’s voice said, which Robyn assumed it must be Weiss, Winter’s little sister.

“Weiss, right? Can I speak to your sister? Is she okay?”

“Winter can’t talk right now, but she’s okay,” the girl informed her and asked politely. “May I ask who’s calling?”

“I’m Robyn. I’m her, umm, friend from the Academy. I’m worried that she didn’t come to school today.”

“She’ll go back when she’s ready.”

“When she’s ready? What do you mean? Ready for what?”

“I’ll let Winter know you called,” Weiss said curtly and hung up.

Robyn could tell that the girl was hiding something and she suspected that it had to do with Jacques. She wished she could do something to find out the truth, but she knew the best thing to do was waiting until Winter came back to the Academy.

The wait did not last long because the white-haired girl showed up the next day outside of Robyn’s class right before lunch time.

It was shocking to see Winter look so tired and weary. Her eyes were swelling and her usual more-than-perfect hair had a few ruffled spots.

“Winter, are you okay?” Robyn asked with worries.

She reached her hand out, but Winter stepped back.

“We need to talk,” Winter said with hoarseness in her voice.

Robyn desperately wanted to make sure the other girl was fine, but Winter already turned around and led her to an empty classroom.

“Winter, what happened to you?” Robyn asked as soon as she closed the door.

Winter said immediately. “I can’t go out with you anymore.”

Somehow, the words did not surprise Robyn. She took a breath and asked the younger girl.

“Is that what you want or what your father wants?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It should matter,” Robyn said firmly. “If it’s what he wants, then screw him! He can’t force you to do or not do anything.”

“It’s not that simple, Robyn. He saw us kissing in your car and he said, as the heiress, I shouldn’t do something like that ever again. It won’t be good for our company.”

What Robyn heard made anger rise in her.

She asked. “Why? Is it because I’m a girl or because I’m from the wrong side of the tracks?”

Winter was stunned by her question, and Robyn could see the answer clearly on her face.

“Both, I see,” she said bitterly.

“There’s nothing wrong with you or me, Robyn. It’s those close-minded people,” the younger girl pointed out sharply.

There was a split second that Winter almost stepped closer, but she decided against it in the end.

“Then tell me what I can do to help because I really meant it when I said I would try to make it work.”

A single tear fell from Winter’s eye.

“I want you to let me go.”

“So you’re just gonna give up?” Robyn asked as tears were starting to form in her eyes as well.

Interestingly, her words seemed to piss the white-haired girl off.

“I told you it’s not that simple! This isn’t just about us. As much as I like you, I have to think about our company’s image, our employees! Why can’t you understand that?!”

“You can’t possibly live like this, Winter!” Robyn replied as sternly. “Hell, you know what, I don’t even care if you stop dating me. I just want you to be happy!”

“What makes me happy is protecting my family name and our company,” Winter said resolutely and Robyn knew there was nothing she could do or say to change her mind.

She was lost for words and felt nothing but numbness.

“I’m so sorry, Robyn,” Winter spoke softly and stepped closer. “Please say something.”

“I don’t think I can,” Robyn uttered and flinched away when the younger girl tried to touch her arm. “I don’t think I can even look at you right now.”

With that, she headed out and slammed the door shut after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the angst. It hurt me a lot while I was writing too. :'( But I promise they will have a happy ending.
> 
> It was fun to write in Robyn's POV for once. The first chapter is about "Then", so the next one will be about "Now".
> 
> Side note: I made Clover Irish because of his name, hehe. And I almost made Ilia Winter's best friend, but then I remembered Ilia's friends treated her like trash back in the days. :/ So I decided to name Winter's friend after Miss Dunkelman, who is my favorite RWBY cast member. :D


	2. Now, Part 1

Robyn’s application to be a Council member candidate was sent in. Her dream to effectively do something to improve Mantle finally had a chance to become a reality. She planned to give each of her friends a high-five after she handed in the document, but Joanna decided to pull her, Fiona and May into a group hug instead.

“Robyn Hill! Robyn Hill! Robyn Hill!” Fiona started a chant after they came back down to the Atlas’ Administration Building’s entrance hall.

“Quiet down. Do you want them to kick us out?” Robyn warned.

“Robyn Hill! Robyn Hill! Robyn Hill!” May and Joanna ignored her and joined the Faunus.

“I’m getting out of here,” Robyn announced and rolled her eyes.

“Good. Your fans from Mantle are waiting to praise you in front of the building,” May said and pointed over her shoulder.

Robyn looked through the glass doors and saw that May was right. There were fifty people or so with signs with her face and name on them. As much as Robyn was happy that she had a large number of supporters from her hometown, she was still nervous to interact with them.

“Great,” Robyn said sarcastically. “I’ll be here until they’re all gone.”

Fiona chimed in. “Robyn, come on, you have to start talking to them. It’ll be a good practice for when you give speeches on TV.”

“But-...,” Robyn began to argue when the sound outside turned into chaos.

A white limousine pulled up in front of the building and her supporters instantly gathered around it. Robyn knew that car and involuntarily hoped it was Winter who arrived. She had not seen her in person since she graduated from Atlas Academy and she had no reason to, not to mention the fact that it was impossible for Winter to commute with this vehicle after she cut all ties from her family five years ago.

Robyn knew this because the big announcement was on the news. She remembered feeling elated when she learned that Winter renounced her heiress title, but then she was disappointed that the white-haired woman joined the army just to be under another man’s control.

But it was not Robyn’s place to judge her anymore. She knew it was not her place to have any opinion about Winter’s life choices from the beginning.

Then Joanna’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Hey Chief, how do we proceed? Are we saving Jacques-ass or nah?”

From Robyn’s observation, her supporters were now shouting profanities and some of them were slamming their fists on the vehicle.

“That’s the AK robots’ jobs, not ours,” Robyn replied to her friend.

“You know those tin cans are useless and we don’t want the public to think you encouraged these people to attack him,” Fiona pointed out.

“Right,” Robyn conceded and led her team outside.

The scene was even more chaotic up close and Robyn could see that Jacques’ car was shaking slightly by the impact.

“Come on, guys. Leave him alone!” Robyn said loudly from the footpath outside of the building. “We’re better than that!”

It worked like a charm because her supporters stopped in their tracks right away. What she did not expect was that they would turn their full attention to her instead. 

“We’ll make sure no one beats up Jacques-ass while you’re talking to your fans,” Joanna said and separated herself from the group.

“What? Don’t leave me,” Robyn argued in panic as the first supporter started walking towards her.

“You got this,” Fiona said and followed the green-haired Huntress.

Robyn turned to May, who only gave her a thumbs-up and ran after her friends.

“Great,” Robyn groaned.

Within seconds, the crowd was completely swarming around her. Each person was talking at the same time, and she was sure two people had just asked her to marry them.

“Can I hug you, Robyn?” a man asked.

“Don’t be a creep. She doesn’t want that,” another man told him and shoved him to the side.

“I asked her, not you, moron,” the first man replied and shoved back.

The small fight caused the rest of the crowd to push and shout at each other and they would not stop even though Robyn asked them to. She glanced over the supporters’ heads and saw that May and Fiona were trying desperately to get to her, while Joanna was still guarding Jacques’ limousine.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of an airship landing, and then a familiar voice spoke up in a strict manner.

“Disperse immediately, or you’ll sleep in jail tonight.”

The crown peeled away from Robyn layer by layer, and then Winter Schnee was standing in front of her. She gave one of Robyn’s supporters a glare before her eyes turned to meet Robyn’s.

The sternness on the younger woman’s face turned into shock, and suddenly, Robyn felt like they were the only two people in the world.

The last time they talked was seven years ago and it ended with them both being in tears. It was the reason she could not decide if she should walk away now or talk to Winter.

Eventually, Winter made that decision for her.

“Are you okay?” the white-haired woman asked with a soft expression despite always looking so cold when Robyn saw her on TV.

Robyn swallowed a lump in her throat and replied. “Yeah.”

“Okay,” Winter noted.

The air felt awkward around them as they continued to look at each other. And again, Winter spoke first.

“I appreciate you and your team for protecting my father and letting him get out of his car safely. We have to let him register even though nobody wants him in the Council.”

“What?! He’s running for the Council seat too?!” Robyn asked in shock.

“Unfortunately,” Winter said in disdain and continued. “So you’re also running?”

“I am.”

“Good luck,” the Special Operative said and added hesitantly. “Robyn.”

_Just say thanks and walk away._ Robyn told herself.

Instead, she said. “It was nice to see you, Winter.”

The white-haired woman seemed taken aback by the words, but Robyn did not wait for her response. Talking to Winter after all these years felt overwhelming and she suddenly had an intense need to leave.

She walked past the Operative and reunited with May, Joanna and Fiona, who were looking at her suspiciously.

“What was that all about?” May asked.

“Nothing. Let’s just go home,” Robyn replied briefly and headed to the transportation station.

When Robyn settled down on the couch in their shared apartment in Mantle, her three housemates gathered in front of her.

“Can I help you with something?” Robyn drawled.

“We saw what happened,” Fiona said. “What’s going on with you and Special Operative Schnee?”

“She’s an old friend. We just said hi,” Robyn lied.

“Then why were you so quiet the whole ride back home?” May questioned her.

Joanna joined in. “And why was Ice Queen so much less scary when she was talking to you?”

Robyn was trying to come up with an excuse when Fiona’s face lit up.

“Oh my Gods! She’s the ex you were moping about when we first met you!” the Faunus said and Robyn did not have any energy to confirm or deny her conclusion.

Fiona and May sat down on her sides while Joanna settled down on the floor in front of her.

The green-haired Huntress announced. “This calls for a team consulting session.”

Robyn sighed and started telling her friends about her time at the Academy with Winter.

“Ooh, that explains a lot,” Joanna remarked.

“You guys are so cute together,” Fiona said giddily.

“Were, Fiona,” Robyn corrected her. “I hadn’t seen her or talked to her for years.”

The Faunus girl persisted with a sing-song voice. “But she’s clearly still into you. She had this longing look when you were walking away from her.”

Fortunately, May asked a question before Robyn could process Fiona’s words.

“So you hadn’t run into her before today at all?”

“After that day, Winter gave me space or maybe Jacques-ass forbade her from talking to me. She even quit the student council, and I was still mad at her and so busy with exams. And then, poof, I graduated and went to travel and work overseas.”

Robyn thought about how the time abroad helped her move on from Winter and even made her finally understand Winter’s decision to take care of her family.

She continued. “When I was away, I finally understood how selfless she was and I forgave her. I came back and kind of wanted to reach out too, you know? But then…”

“She joined the army,” May finished the sentence for her.

“Yeah,” Robyn said sadly.

Atlas’ military had been letting her and Mantle down since she could remember, and she had a hard time respecting anyone from the force or anyone who joined it. It was also why she and Clover grew apart.

“Well, I guess you can’t do anything about this now,” Joanna pointed out.

“But if… when Robyn becomes a Councilwoman, she’ll have to see Winter a lot,” Fiona said and turned to Robyn. “Maybe you can at least try to be friends again?”

“That would never work, Fi,” May argued. “First, they would reconcile and then start hanging out. Next thing you know, they would be making out in a parking lot. And it would end with Ice Queen breaking Robyn’s heart again because her new daddy wouldn’t like them together.”

“We should also consider the fact that Ice Queen might not be the same person anymore,” Joanna added.

The three Huntresses started discussing intensely, which caused Robyn to rub her eyebrows. They only stopped when Robyn stood up.

“I really appreciate your concern and opinions, guys, but can we talk about this if I actually win? It’s not like I’ll have to see her again anytime soon.”

\--

Robyn saw Winter two weeks later at Atlas’ Union Square where each candidate would announce their policies. It seemed that it was mandatory for General Ironwood to attend the event, and undoubtedly, Winter arrived with him and Penny. The General walked to the front of the stage and sat down in his designated seat while Winter and Penny stood in the back behind the crowd.

When it was Robyn’s turn to give a speech on the stage, her eyes automatically found the white-haired woman. Winter seemed composed while they were holding a gaze, but she was the first to look away. Robyn sneaked a glance at the Operative during her speech a few times until she realized that it made her nervous and almost messed up what she was going to say.

After she finished her policy announcement, the crowd cheered and she beamed. Her eyes instinctively found Winter again and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the woman clapping along with her supporters. Then Winter gave her a small smile.

Later that night, her thoughts remained on Winter. The clock on the nightstand said it was almost midnight, and Robyn continued to replay the moment Winter was smiling at her in her head. And before she could stop herself, she picked up her scroll and started looking up Winter’s social media.

It was not a surprise that Winter used her real name, so it was easy to find her on the platform. The only public picture was her profile picture, which dated three years back. The Special Operative had her hair down and was in a blue V-neck t-shirt. In her arms laid a pot of white orchid that complimented her hair wonderfully. Somehow, what stood out the most was her grin that Robyn once had seen up close.

She then scrolled down to the comments section. She saw some familiar names, such as Barbara, who wrote ‘Damn, girl’ in all caps, and Clover, who wrote a fire emoticon. Robyn smiled at the comments. After that, she saw Weiss Schnee’s one, which said ‘You look amazing. Now stop posting twice a year and update more!’. Winter only liked her sister’s comment and did not reply to anyone.

Robyn slid the screen up to look at the picture again. Winter looked truly happy and Robyn thought that maybe they both were where they were supposed to be.

\--

Robyn saw Winter again on Election Day a month later, and unfortunately, it was under a dire circumstance. She had just lost to Jacques Schnee, but what worse was Fiona was attacked and badly injured. Robyn talked to Winter briefly, mostly for investigation purpose, but Winter let her know she was sorry that Jacques won and promised to find the person responsible for the attack.

A few days later, she learned that they would see each other again that weekend when Jacques invited her and all Council members to his Manor. Robyn could not help but feel anxious, and she told herself that it was because of the upcoming encounter with the Councilors and not Winter.

The dinner went hectic as she expected. Jacques did not waste any time to piss everyone off, and Winter was the first person to give in to her anger.

“You can’t just buy trust like everything else. You have to earn it!” Winter stood up and spat at her father after the man questioned Ironwood about the Amity Colosseum.

It felt nice to see how far the Specialist had come. The reserved girl Robyn used to know was now standing up to her abusive father with confidence, so Robyn let herself smile at her. Yet, the new Councilman managed to turn Winter’s words around and used it against the General, which caused Winter to start another argument, but not before her boss cut her off and dismissed her.

“Excuse me,” Winter announced with her fists clenched before she stormed out of the room.

There was a split second that Robyn wanted to go after her, but Penny beat her to it. She barely could focus on what the Council was discussing afterwards, and when Penny came back without Winter, Robyn stood up.

“Don’t talk about anything too important till I come back, please,” she said and looked around the room. “Or you know, someone give me a note later?”

Clover gave her a knowing look while Jacques was narrowing his eyes at her. She returned a hostile glare at the latter man and left the table.

Winter was standing in front of an enormous door in the hallway when Robyn found her.

“Hey,” she greeted the younger woman. “If you wanna burn down a room, I want to help.”

The comment earned a chuckle from Winter before she replied. “I would if it wasn’t my old room.”

“Oh.”

The white-haired woman opened the door and said. “You can come in.”

Robyn followed her into a room that was big enough to fit all of the Happy Huntresses’ bedrooms inside. The only furniture in sight were a king size bed, a couch and an empty bookcase that took up a whole wall. They were in a mix of blue and silver colors. The whole area seemed clean, so Robyn figured that the Manor’s maids tidied the room regularly.

Winter sat at the end of her old bed, so Robyn settled down next to her.

“Your room is big. Was it for playing mini golf?” Robyn made a joke even though she was feeling awkward to be alone in a room with her former crush.

Winter laughed softly and Robyn realized how much she missed the sound of it.

“No, it was mostly for glyphs practice,” the younger woman replied and motioned to a corner. “And there used to be a piano over there.”

“Didn’t know you play.”

“It kept me sane back then,” Winter replied and looked at the ground.

Instinctively, Robyn had an urge to reach for the other woman’s hand and comforted her, but she knew they were not at that point yet and she wondered if they should ever get to that point at all.

She said. “It was awesome that you stood up to Jacques earlier.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Winter sighed and shook her head. “I lost my temper and somehow it felt like he had control over me again.”

“He didn’t and he never will, okay?” Robyn told her. “Jacques was being a nuisance and you took one for the team and called him out.”

Winter’s expression shifted to a lighter one when she replied. “I just wish he wasn’t this thick-skinned.”

They shared a laugh, and suddenly, the Operative spoke up.

“Clover misses you. He doesn’t say it, but I can tell.”

Robyn took a deep breath and admitted. “Well, I miss him too.”

_And I miss you._ Robyn thought.

“We should grab lunch sometimes, just the three of us,” Winter offered and looked at her expectantly.

The suggestion took Robyn by surprise. As much as she wanted to reconnect with her old friends, everything was moving too fast and she had a hard time deciding.

“I’ll… think about it,” Robyn gave the woman next to her a non-answer.

“All right,” Winter noted and added. “The offer always stands.”

Since they had been talking about lunch and Clover, Robyn’s mind circled back to her school days. And abruptly, a funny thought, or rather a nostalgic one, popped up in her head. Her breath hitched, and she was not sure if it was a good or bad thing that Winter noticed.

“What is it?” the white-haired woman asked.

Robyn cast a glance at the Special Operative and mumbled before she could stop herself.

“You’re sitting on my right.”

She could hear Winter gasp, and when she fully turned to face her, she saw the blue eyes were widening. It did not take long for the orbs to turn soft and flicked down to Robyn’s lips. The stare lasted long enough to insinuate Winter’s desire that Robyn knew deep down she also wanted the same thing.

Unconsciously, her eyes dropped to the other woman’s lips as well and wondered if they were still as soft as the first time they kissed. And just when Winter leaned in, Robyn scooted back when her friends’ advice started ringing in her ears.

“I don’t think this is a good idea, Winter,” Robyn said and hoped her action did not hurt the younger woman. She continued to explain. “We haven’t seen each other for years. I think we only know a version of each other and maybe parts of us are still the same, but we’re not those people anymore. Does that make sense?”

Robyn did not mention the fact that she was also afraid of getting hurt again.

There was a second that Winter looked upset, but she eventually smiled at Robyn.

“I understand.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m really glad we talked again,” Robyn said and returned her smile.

“Me too. It’s really nice to be friends with you again, Robyn,” the Operative said genuinely and stood up.

Admittedly, the F word stung, but Robyn ignored the feeling. She got up and turned to Winter.

“Ready to go back?”

“Roast Jacques with me?” Winter asked with a grin.

“You didn’t have to ask,” Robyn grinned back and followed the other woman outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to put everything in this chapter, but it got too long. So I separated it in two parts.
> 
> The second part isn't done, though. ^_^


	3. Now, Part 2

The dinner party worsened when they found out that Jacques worked with Arthur Watts to rig the election, and the scientist used his new-gained access to turn off the heat in Mantle. Without a doubt, the panic brought the Grimms to the city below, and Clover called up all Huntsmen and Huntresses for defence.

Before Robyn could take part, Ironwood asked her and the two Councilors to stay. He then told them the truth about an evil being named Salem, who apparently could create and control the creatures of Grimm, and she was the one who gave orders to cause harm to Mantle.

Robyn barely had time to process the shocking information when the General asked her to join him during his announcement. The man told the story again to the public while Robyn was using her Semblance on him. After learning his plan regarding Amity Colosseum and the fact that the aura on her hand remained green, Robyn knew Ironwood meant well and both cities needed to be united as one more than ever, so once the General finished his speech, she informed the citizens of her hometown that she fully supported him.

“If you don’t mind, I’m gonna go defend my city,” Robyn told Ironwood once the broadcast stopped.

“Miss Hill,” Ironwood spoke up before she could head to the door. “What do you say if I ask you to work with your old friend to capture the person responsible for the attack at your victory party?”

“That prick hurt my friend. I don’t care who I have to work with to jail his ass,” Robyn replied despite how a part of her was looking forward to joining forces with Clover.

The General visibly cringed at her language, but he eventually gave her Clover’s contact and Tyrian Callows’ possible location.

Their plan to corner Tyrian in an alley was successful and it ended with Robyn knocking the bad guy out with a kick in his face.

“Robyn,” Clover said with a hint of nervousness in his voice after he called for an airship to pick them up. “I was hoping we could catch up after we drop Callows off at prison.”

Robyn thought about Ironwood's recent orders that saved Mantle and his good intention with Amity Tower, and she decided that it was time to give him and his subordinates a chance. But most of all, she was tired of pretending not to care about Clover.

“Sure, Irish. Why not?” she agreed and turned to Qrow. “You coming with, Five O’Clock Shadow?”

“Just call me Qrow, for Brothers’ Sake,” the Huntsman said with irritation.

Clover chimed in. “Sorry, Qrow. You can’t change this one’s mind. If she calls you Five O’Clock Shadow, then you’re Five O’Clock Shadow.”

“That’s right,” Robyn said and pointed a finger gun at her former best friend, and suddenly, it felt like they were back at Atlas Academy again.

“But you’re coming with us, right?” Clover asked the other man.

Qrow replied. “Why not? We deserve some celebration tonight, but I’m not drinking.”

“I know. You mention that to me at least three times a day,” the Ace-Op teased.

The two men exchanged smiles and Robyn realized that they had formed quite a bond.

The transportation arrived a few minutes later and they sat down in silence, at least until Qrow’s scroll rang. The person speaking from the device said in panic.

_“Ironwood’s declaring Martial Law and abandoning Mantle! Salem is coming and he’s going to use the Staff to move Atlas! If we don’t stop him, Mantle’s going to be dest-...”_

The line was cut off, and Robyn glanced up to look at Clover. His expression was stern as a sign that he would follow his commander’s orders no matter what. And to make it worse, a wanted notice was sent to her scroll with pictures of Qrow and eight young Huntsmen and Huntresses on it.

Clover stood up and declared his intention to arrest Qrow right away.

_It shouldn’t be like this._ Robyn thought and felt like she was so naive for ever thinking Ironwood had changed.

Anger rose in her, and when she was sure Clover would not back down, she shot at him. Qrow joined in the fight and the three of them were too distracted to see Tyrian getting loose and taking out the pilot. Before they could apprehend him, the airship went down in full force.

The last thing Robyn saw before her eyes shut was snow.

When she woke up, two Operatives were standing over her in the tundra. She barely had time to look around before they put a handcuff on her and dragged her onto another ship. She saw a glimpse of red snow and Clover lying still on top of it while two medical personnels were approaching him. With Qrow’s expression, Robyn could tell that the man who was once her best friend was in critical condition.

“Did he…?” she asked Qrow, afraid to complete the sentence.

“I don’t know,” the man replied and caressed Clover’s pin he was holding in his hands.

Robyn put her cuffed hands on his shoulder to comfort him despite how much she was scared of losing Clover.

\--

The holding room in Atlas’ prison was colder than Robyn could remember. This was not the first time she was here and certainly would not be the last. The guards usually did not take long to let her go or take her to an interrogation room, but this time it felt like it had been more than an hour. And since Salem was coming, she felt helpless to be stuck in this cell, not being able to protect her hometown and not knowing where her friends and Winter were.

Then she thought about Clover again. Robyn had always hated to be perceived as weak, but she let herself cry as her worry for the Ace-Op grew and desperately hoped that no one would choose this moment to call for her.

  
Her wish went futile when she heard the sound of the room’s door being unlocked.

“Give me a moment,” Robyn asked as if she had any say in this place.

She sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes with her scarf, hoping she now looked presentable enough.

She prepared to deal with a guard and maybe snark at them about how long they had been locking her up, but surprisingly, it was Winter who was standing at the door.

Winter looked unwell, to say the least. Her hair was down and her left sleeve was torn apart. The part of her arm that showed was wrapped roughly in bandages and the cut on her face would likely become a scar when it healed. Above her nose wound was a very visible black eye, and to emphasize her injuries, Winter was using a cane.

“Winter, wha- what happened to you?” Robyn asked in shock and approached her.

“I’m okay,” the younger woman tried to answer casually, but Robyn knew better. Then it was her turn to inspect Robyn. “Are you okay? You look…”

“I’m fine. How’s Clover?” Robyn cut her off when she suddenly realized that Winter was possibly still working for Ironwood.

“He’s in stable condition, but it can take months for him to fully recover.”

Robyn let out a sign of relief and said. “I heard something about moving Atlas and abandoning Mantle. Tell me that’s not true.”

“You don’t have to worry about that now,” Winter replied with her gaze diverting from Robyn.

The answer did not sound very comforting and Robyn could tell that the white-haired woman did not give her the whole truth.

She asked with her eyes narrowed. “Why do I feel like you didn’t tell me everything?”

“Just… please, Robyn,” Winter said. Her expression and voice were pleading Robyn to do as she asked. “Please don’t say anything and come with me.”

Robyn did so. The route they were taking was unfamiliar. And whether it was because she was hit in the head earlier or the concern for Winter’s current state, she paced ahead and opened the exit door for the Special Operative.

Instantly, flashes of memories when she made the same gesture in the past for the white-haired woman played in her mind.

_Why the heck did I do that?!_ Robyn cursed at herself internally.

She wondered if Winter was thinking about the same thing and cast a quick glance at her. It could be Robyn’s imagination, but Winter’s blue eyes widened. Within seconds, Winter’s demeanor shifted back to the usual calm one, and she led Robyn to a quiet corner outside the building.

The outdoor area was an old parking lot that seemed like it was currently being used as a smoking area. The younger woman looked around to make sure no one else was in sight, and Robyn could not help but wonder why.

“Is it me or you’re planning to do something you shouldn’t do?”

“Something like that,” Winter replied and got to the point. “I couldn’t tell you everything when we were inside.”

“Tell me what?”

“We haven’t spotted Salem, but it won’t be long until Ironwood calls for the forces in Mantle to return to base. That means the evacuation will have to stop,” Winter informed her and added. “So I’m giving you an airship so you can go back and help people who are still there. I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do.”

“Hey, you’re helping a lot,” Robyn said softly. “Going back to Mantle is exactly what I want to do right now. Thank you.”

The white-haired woman nodded.

“Officially, the ship is on patrol duty, so no one will bother you.”

“What about you? What are you gonna do?” Robyn asked with concern.

“I have to report back to Ironwood.”

The words felt like a slap in Robyn’s face.

“Are you seriously still working for him?” Robyn said with frustration. “After what he did to Mantle? To your _own_ sister?” 

“It’s not like that,” Winter replied with a sigh.

“Then tell me what it’s like because it’s hard to tell which side you’re really on here, Winter.”

The Operative took a deep breath and said. “You’re not wrong to question the General’s judgment. I used to follow him blindly and his recent orders have been hard on me, but his actions are driven by him believing he’s doing the right thing. That’s why I know I’ll have a chance to convince him to see things your way and hope that my loyalty will help me in reasoning with him.”

“I understand,” Robyn noted and said with worries. “But you can’t do that, Winter.”

“It has to be me and it has to be done,” the younger woman said firmly. “I have to ask him to let the evacuation continue and lift the arrest order. As long as the warrant is still active, both the army and those children will be distracted instead of focusing on preparing for the battle with Salem.”

“I know,” Robyn said softly and lifted her hands up to touch Winter’s arms. “I mean, you can barely stand.”

She could feel the white-haired woman tensing against her palms and abruptly realized that this was the first time they touched in seven years. Robyn dropped her hands instantly and it took a few seconds until Winter spoke again.

“I’ll be all right,” Winter assured her and added. “And I’ll have a better chance to persuade him when I look like this.”

The Special Operative was smiling with pride, and even though it was not the time and place, Robyn found the sight very lovely.

“Just be careful, okay? I don’t want anyone else I care about to get hurt,” Robyn said, hoping the comment did not reveal her very intact feelings for Winter too much.

With the rosy color that immediately sprung on Winter’s cheeks, Robyn knew she was not very successful.

Winter finally nodded and replied. “I’ll be careful.”

“Give me your scroll. I’ll put my number in, so we can keep each other updated.”

“I… umm,” Winter stumbled over her words and dropped her gaze. “If you haven’t changed your number, I already have it.”

Robyn could feel her heart speed up after hearing the words.

She asked. “You’ve kept my number?”

“Y- Yes. I never deleted it because I was hoping t- to have enough courage to call you one day, but it never came to that,” the younger woman replied with her sight remaining on the ground. She only looked up at Robyn to ask a question. “Is that all right?”

The emotion behind Winter’s blue eyes were mixed with hope and undisclosed affection, and Robyn could only react by stepping closer and pressed her lips against hers.

The sound of Winter’s cane dropping on the ground caused Robyn to hold her up to support her, which made the moment even more intimate. She could feel Winter relaxing in her arms before she started kissing back. They started out gently just like their first kiss, but it soon turned heated when Winter sucked on her bottom lip, her right hand coming up to grab and knead the back of Robyn’s neck, begging for the kiss to be deepened.

Slowly and carefully, Robyn walked Winter backwards and rested her against the nearest wall, her hands pulling her closer by the hips, her head tilting to give the woman beneath her even more satisfaction.

With this kiss, Robyn found clarity. She realized that this was exactly where she was meant to be and she wished she did not take this long to get here.

Their kiss ended only when Winter pulled away. And to Robyn’s surprise, the expression on the younger woman’s face displayed uncertainty.

Winter mumbled. “Tell me this isn’t because this could be our last day on earth.”

“No, it’s not,” Robyn said firmly and she made sure to look into Winter’s eyes before she continued. “This is because I want to be with you and I’ve missed you everyday, and every minute we spent apart was just a waste of time. So I’m not dying today. I’ll fight like hell to have more days with you, Winter.”

Tears rolled down the Operative’s face before she replied.

“But I hurt you before. There hasn’t been a day I don’t regret what I did to you. I’m so sorry, Robyn. I’ll understand if you…”

Winter was lost for her words when Robyn wiped her tears away with her thumb.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. You were doing your best to protect your family and thousands of employees,” she told her and added. “I’m the one who should be sorry for being mad at you for so long when I should have been there for you as a friend.”

“No, you-…”

Winter was interrupted when her scroll flashed. They both could see Ironwood’s name on the screen, and the younger woman ignored it.

“We can talk about everything later,” Robyn said and suggested with a smirk. “Maybe on our second date if you’re interested.”

“No,” Winter said briefly.

“No?” Robyn asked with puzzlement.

“No, but I mean yes. But not yet.”

“I’m not following.”

Then it was Winter’s turn to smirk.

She said. “I’ll say yes after we survive.”

Robyn made a click sound with her mouth and pointed a finger gun at her.

“Well played, Miss Schnee. Now I’m all hyped up and ready to kick some asses.”

“Now go,” Winter urged her and added. “And please be careful.”

“Right,” Robyn complied.

She picked Winter’s cane up and gave it to her. Before she left, the Special Operative pulled her into a tender kiss.

“I’ll see you on the battlefield,” Winter told her.

Robyn nodded and headed to the airship’s direction. Her heart was full of motivation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, guys. :)
> 
> So... they really made out in a parking lot, huh?
> 
> Anyway, I tried to follow canon, but I just CAN'T kill Clover. I liked him and Fair Game so much, and I didn't want to hurt anyone in the fic or put Clover's fans through his demise again. So we have an alive!Clover. :')
> 
> And Salem arrived much, much later than on the show because she wanted her OTP to talk and kiss. ;)
> 
> Also, why do I feel like this happy ending isn't very happy? What do you guys think? Should I write another chapter where they do nothing but just hang out and make out?
> 
> Edit: Totally gonna write that chapter. :)


	4. After

The Headmaster’s office at Atlas Academy held some eventful memories for Robyn whether when she caused some trouble in her first year or when the Headmaster asked to meet the student council and Robyn broke one of his vases by accident.

The room had not changed at all. It was round and white with window blinds that could only be activated by the Headmaster’s voice. The only difference now was that the person in charge was a Headmistress, the one she sometimes came to have lunch with, or at this very moment, to exchange kisses with.

Robyn only meant to drop off Chow Mein she got for Winter as she knew how often her girlfriend forgot to eat when she was busy. But here they were, making out with Winter pressed between the edge of her marble desk and Robyn’s hips. This happened almost every time they had a goodbye kiss, and they both agreed that they were simply making up for lost time.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Councilwoman Hill?” Winter pulled away to ask while her hands were still sliding up and down Robyn’s arms.

That reminded Robyn that she was supposed to go back to the Council-provided airship that was waiting for her since she had an appointment to inspect the new Schnee Dust Company’s shop in Mantle.

“Then stop touching me,” Robyn countered teasingly.

“I can’t. You’re just so… you,” Winter replied and gave her a peck. “Your pilot won’t be very happy, though.”

“Pfft, he gets paid hourly,” Robyn said quickly.

She leaned in to capture the Headmistress’ lips again in a passionate kiss, but they were soon interrupted by a knock on the door.

“That would be my students whom I called to lecture,” the white-haired woman informed her.

“I guess that’s my cue to leave,” Robyn observed with a pout.

“I’ll see you at home, okay?”

“Yours or mine?”

Robyn had to ask because, lately, they always went to bed together whether at the Happy Huntresses’ apartment or Winter’s house. There were their clothes and necessary things in both places, which allowed them to get ready to work the next day.

“Umm… mine,” Winter said with hesitation. “If that’s okay with you.”

“That’s more than okay, babe.”

Robyn could tell the reason of the younger woman’s uncertainty. Every time Winter went to Robyn’s apartment in Mantle, even though she only greeted and talked to her friends briefly before heading straight to Robyn’s room, May and Fiona always looked at her like hawks. For the blue-haired Huntress, it was because she was afraid Winter would hurt Robyn again, and for Fiona, she just loved to find a chance to say ‘aww’ whenever Robyn and Winter did the simplest thing such as holding hands.

It was why Robyn came up with a plan to solve this problem.

“Hey,” she started. “We’re having a movie night this Saturday. You wanna come?”

“I… I’m not so sure.”

“Pretty please. I promise it will be fun, and I asked those two to stop being weirdos when you’re there.”

“Okay,” Winter gave in and added. “With one condition.”

“Anything.”

“You have to meet my mother and my brother sometimes.”

Robyn groaned. She assumed that when Winter eventually took her to meet her family, it would be a dinner at the Schnee Manor. The place always made her feel uneasy with the ridiculously big statues and the high empty hallways, not to mention the fact that Willow and Whitley Schnee did not seem like pleasant people to be around.

“Do I have to, like, wear a three-piece suit and learn how to use five different kinds of spoons?” Robyn asked.

“No. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to keep it as simple as I can and I’ll always take your side if my mother and Whitley ever dare to make a snide comment about you or us.”

“Well, that would help a lot.”

“We can meet them whenever you’re ready,” Winter said and added. “I may be a bit late on Saturday, though. I have to visit James in prison and ask him how to deal with some jerks in the school board.”

“Got it,” Robyn noted. “We won’t start without you.”

“So, what should I bring to this movie night?”

“Just you and your cute self.”

Winter instantly blushed at her words, and Robyn would have been kissing her if not for the second knock on the door.

“Kids these days. So impatient,” the Headmistress remarked and shook her head.

“At least you taught them to knock and wait,” Robyn replied and gave her girlfriend a quick kiss. “I’ll see you later. Love you.”

“I love you too.”

When Robyn walked over to open the door, she made sure to give the two students the ‘you better behave’ glare and winked at Winter.

\--

Even though Robyn did not ask Winter to bring anything, the white-haired woman showed up with five bags of potato chips and a pack of soda. She arrived just in time Joanna came out of the kitchen with newly baked muffins.

Robyn, Winter and May settled down on the couch with Robyn sitting in the middle, while Joanna and Fiona took the spot in front of the screen. They all got under blankets, which Robyn and Winter definitely shared the same one.

“So, Winter, how’s school?” the green-haired Huntress asked while the Faunus was browsing through the movies library on her scroll.

“School’s good. The kids haven’t caused too much trouble so far,” Winter said awkwardly and Robyn wrapped her arm around her shoulder as a support.

“Can we visit the cafeteria whenever we want? No one makes donuts as yummy as Miss Lopez,” Fiona turned to ask with excitement.

“Yeah!” Joanna agreed. “Oh Gosh, and there’s no ramen in the world can top the Atlas Academy’s ramen. Please give us visitor passes for life.”

“Umm…,” Winter was struggling to come up with a response.

“Hey. Stop bothering my girlfriend or else,” Robyn warned jokingly.

“Sorry, guys,” the Headmistress said sheepishly. “If I gave you passes like that, more people would ask for the same treatment.”

“That's fair,” Fiona replied with her ears lowered.

“But… I can buy you anything from the cafeteria and bring it here whenever I come to visit,” Winter offered.

“Dude, that would be awesome!” Joanna said and swatted on the ex-Operative’s knee.

To Robyn’s relief, Winter looked confused rather than offended. After that, Winter turned to May, who had been eating chips quietly.

“Do you like anything from the cafeteria in particular?”

“Oh, I… ah… it’s fine,” the blue-haired Huntress mumbled.

Robyn observed the interaction. She knew May was the least friendly one among the Happy Huntresses, but at least she did not seem hostile towards Winter anymore.

“May likes chocolate gelato with sprinkles on top,” Fiona answered in her friend’s stead and earned a hit with a pillow from May.

They all laughed and Winter gave May a nod.

Fiona ended up choosing ‘The Walking Dead: the Movie’ for them to watch. It was about a zombie apocalypse and undoubtedly came with some jump scares. Robyn found the tactic more annoying than scary, but she took a chance to wrap her arms around her girlfriend’s waist and leaned on her shoulder within the first ten minutes.

“Puh-lease,” May scoffed and turned to Robyn. “Jump scares never worked on you.”

“Shut up,” Robyn retorted and threw a pillow at her friend without lifting her head up. She then turned to her partner and asked in a small voice. “If I turned into a zombie, would you turn into one too?”

“No,” Winter said determinedly and leaned over to get more chips. “Because you would want me to keep on living.”

Robyn’s breath caught in her throat. She expected the younger woman to simply say yes, but her answer was better and sweeter than she had imagined.

She waited for Winter to look into her eyes again and said. “I love you so much.”

Her words earned a fake gagging sound from May, which caused Fiona to turn around to Robyn and Winter.

“Don’t mind May. She just wishes she could cuddle with Marrow right now.”

“Yeah,” the blue-haired Huntress admitted. “Whose dumb idea to have this as an all-girls event?”

“It was my idea and you agreed to it,” Robyn argued.

“I did not,” May denied and threw a chip at Robyn.

Before Robyn could do anything to retaliate, Winter grabbed her arm at the same time Joanna cut in.

“Keep it down, guys. Daryl is speaking,” the green-haired Huntress told them.

Since Robyn’s head was currently out of May’s way, the blue-haired Huntress could talk to Winter with ease.

She asked quietly. “Do you see Marrow at work sometimes?”

“Of course. He always comes to give advice to the kids,” the Headmistress replied.

“Does he talk about me?”

“Only all the time. You two are lovely together.”

“And how do you know that?” May asked defensively.

“He showed me pictures of you and him every time you went out on a date. And by that, I mean the whole gallery,” Winter deadpanned.

“Gosh, I’m going to kill him,” May said despite failing to hide her smile.

Her voice was a bit too loud, so Joanna made a comment again.

“Seriously, guys, I’m trying to focus here.”

“But Joanna, look, May is blushing,” Robyn teased her friend.

The tallest woman uttered with her eyes glued to the screen. “Shut up, Robyn. I’m trying to watch people dying and feel sad about it in peace.”

“I’m not blushing!” May rebutted and Joanna’s request went unfulfilled again.

Fiona chimed in. “You all should go on a double date.”

“No,” May, Robyn and Winter said loudly in unison.

Suddenly, Joanna stood up and the room went silent. There were a few seconds that she remained still until she grabbed a bag of chips and turned around.

“Food fight!” she announced and poured the remaining chips on May’s and Robyn’s heads. “This is what you get when you interrupt Daryl Dixon!”

This happened all the time in this household, but it was certainly the first time for Winter, and the flavor powder from the chips bag was making the ex-Operative cough.

“You’re okay?” Robyn asked her girlfriend while her three friends started hitting each other with pillows.

“Yeah,” Winter said and drank her strawberry soda to clear her throat.

She then looked at the can in her hand and smirked.

She asked. “Can I defend your honor?”

“Go for it,” Robyn agreed with a grin.

Winter got up and walked over to Joanna. Robyn got to witness her girlfriend tapping on the green-haired Huntress’ shoulder and spilled the drink on the front of her shirt, but she barely had time to laugh because Fiona and May teamed up to throw crumbs of muffins at her.

She tried to get away, and luckily, Winter came to rescue with the rest of her drink. May’s whole back was soaking wet and so was the right side of Fiona’s pants.

“Oh, it’s on, Schnee,” May grunted and ran after Winter while Fiona just shrugged.

The Faunus licked the soda drop on the back of her hand and commented. “This is actually good.”

Joanna showed up in front of Robyn and Fiona later with two green cans in her hands.

“Take this, suckers!”

Robyn quickly rolled off the couch and grabbed a bag of snacks while Fiona stayed put and opened her mouth to try to get every drop of the spilled drink.

By the time Robyn found Winter and May, they were throwing cereal at each other in the kitchen and Winter was hiding behind the fridge’s door. Robyn looked at the chips in her hand and decided to eat them.

“What? Not gonna help your girl?” May asked her.

“Nope. Looks like she can hold her own,” Robyn said nonchalantly. “And I’m only here to tell Winter there’re bottles of expired ketchup and mustard in the bottom drawer.”

Winter’s face lit up and May screamed at Robyn. “You traitor!”

The blue-haired Huntress already dashed out of the room when Winter picked up the condiments. When Winter stepped out from behind the fridge’s door, Robyn found that her girlfriend was stained with purple drink from head to toe.

“Gotta say I like this look,” Robyn teased and asked. “Are you tired yet?”

“The fight is far from over, Miss Hill. And Marigold and I have unfinished business,” Winter replied with her military voice.

“Feisty. Fi already gave up, so how about I take care of Joanna while you kick May’s ass?”

“Deal,” the younger woman agreed and tossed Robyn the mustard bottle.

It was already past midnight when they were done with the food fight and the very thorough cleaning up that came afterwards. The five of them laid wordlessly on the floor until Winter got up and spoke.

“I’m going to take a shower if that’s okay.”

May, Joanna and Fiona hummed in unison as a response.

“Me too,” Robyn said and got up as well.

“What? Together?” Joanna asked and sat up.

Winter’s face turned beet red. They had been kissing a lot and there was touching involved, but they definitely had not taken the next step in their relationship.

Robyn rambled. “Of course not. I mean I’ll brush my teeth and wash my face or whatever when Winter is showering. It will save time because we only have one bathroom here as you know.”

“Right. And please keep your voice down tonight because our bedrooms’ walls are very thin _as you know_. I’m obviously talking about your snoring,” Fiona joined in and made air quotes when she was saying the word ‘snoring’.

Robyn huffed and reached for Winter’s hand.

“Let’s get out of here.”

When they got in Robyn’s room, Winter took her shirt off instantly as opposed to how she usually changed in the bathroom. The action caused Robyn to quickly turn away.

She heard footsteps and suddenly, Winter’s arms wrapped around her with her face burying between her shoulder blades.

“I’m just changing into a towel,” Winter told her. “It’s okay to look.”

“Are you sure?” Robyn asked and rested her hands on top of the other woman’s.

“Robyn, you’re my girlfriend and your hands have been under my shirt multiple times.”

Robyn turned around and made sure not to drop her eyes down to Winter’s chest area.

“But it’s different if I actually look. I don’t wanna make you feel uncomfortable.”

Winter shook her head and smiled. “You haven’t said or done a single thing that bothers me since we’ve been together, and I promise this also won’t be the case.”

“Oh, that’s... cool.”

Winter kissed her cheek and said. “I’ll be quick, okay?”

When it was Robyn’s turn to return from the bathroom, Winter was already in bed. She climbed under the blanket and wrapped her arm around her girlfriend just like she did most nights.

“Are you staying for breakfast tomorrow?” Robyn asked against the back of Winter’s neck.

“Umm-hmm.”

“It's the weekend, so everyone will be here. It will be… chaotic,” Robyn warned.

“We just had a food fight tonight,” Winter replied with a chuckle. “I think I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“True,” Robyn acknowledged and asked. “Was that okay, though? I didn’t know things would get so messy tonight.”

“Hey,” the younger woman said softly and turned to face Robyn. “You know I had never done anything so reckless and silly like this in my life… and it honestly felt amazing.”

“Cool,” Robyn said and pulled her girlfriend closer. “I’m so happy you get along with my friends… my family.”

“Me too,” Winter replied and added after a beat. “And I’m happy.”

“About?”

“You used to say you wanted me to be happy with or without you,” Winter explained with her eyes closed. “So I’m saying that I’m happy that I’m happy with you rather than I'm happy without you because I wouldn't be very happy.”

Robyn smiled at her girlfriend’s adorable drowsy rambling and kissed her forehead.

“That’s all I want for you, babe,” Robyn told her.

She closed her eyes and followed Winter into slumber. Her mind looked forward to having more days with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter took a while, so sorry to keep you waiting. I've been so busy with work, and ya know... fangirling about Catradora, Harlivy and Supercorp on the same weekend. :P
> 
> I got the ideas of Headmistress Winter from AmericanWildDog, and them watching The Walking Dead from brxkenarrxws, so shout out to you guys. :D


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